CompleGen, Inc., a Seattle drug discovery company, and DuPont Crop Protection announced the initiation of a research agreement whereby CompleGen will employ its XenoGeneR(TM) system to discover the targets of active compounds identified by DuPont Crop Protection. This application of the XenoGene(TM) technology, an example of "reverse chemical genomics," is a powerful system by which the molecular target of a compound with a known physiological activity can be found by genetic selection.

Dr. John Swindle, CompleGen's Chief Scientific Officer, stated, "We are happy to be working with DuPont Crop Protection on this exciting program. This is the fourth in a series of collaborations with DuPont Crop Protection, and we believe we have established an excellent working relationship with DuPont scientists. This also demonstrates the broad applicability of our technology in that it allows us to use a genetic approach encompassing the entire genome of an organism in the discovery of targets for compounds of high interest to DuPont."

Dr. Pat Confalone, R&D Director of DuPont Crop Protection, said, "Our scientists have established an excellent working relationship with their counterparts at CompleGen. We are pleased to extend this collaboration, which allows us to access CompleGen's XenoGene(TM) technology to aid in our discovery effort."

CompleGen is an emerging biopharmaceutical company located in Seattle, WA. CompleGen has developed and patented a system for high throughput discovery of highly specific and potent compounds that act on proteins of interest as drug (or agrochemical) targets. CompleGen is building its business on the capability to rapidly and inexpensively discover specifically acting compounds, patent them and establish development programs with pharmaceutical and agrochemical companies. CompleGen has acquired a large compound library to support this effort. CompleGen also has developed the capability to determine mechanism of action of bioactive compounds, without prior knowledge of which genes and proteins are involved, and uses that information to design highly specific and potent new analogs. CompleGen has other programs, completed or ongoing, with DuPont, Berlex Biosciences (a Subsidiary of Schering, AG) and other pharmaceutical companies.